How to Recover a Lost Administrator Password

By Jim Campbell

The Windows administrator account controls every setting on the computer, so you must keep it secure from unauthorized users. To recover a lost administrator password, you must have an account recovery disk. The disk can be a floppy, CD or USB flash drive. The recovery disk logs you in to the administrator account so you can change the password when you've forgotten it.

Things You'll Need

Password reset disc or flash drive

Step 1

Boot your computer to the login window. Do not attempt to log in until you have the password reset disk inserted. Insert the CD, diskette or flash drive in the computer's drive or USB port.

Step 2

Type any password into the login text box and press "Enter." A window opens that displays the error and offers to boot using the password reset disk.

Step 3

Click "Reset Password." Windows logs in to the account using the disk. A window opens asking you to reset the password. Type a new account password into the window and click "OK."

Tips & Warnings

After you reset the password, create a new password reset disk and keep it in a safe location in case you forget the password again.